IRISS is drawing a line in the sand on sustainability. Not as a brand statement. As a business decision.
IRISS is the global pioneer of infrared window technology and electrical maintenance safety devices, serving reliability engineers and industrial maintenance professionals worldwide.
Read the full IRISS Sustainability Manifesto and supporting whitepaper at IRISS Sustainability Manifesto
There is a conversation the electrical maintenance industry has been avoiding for a long time. It is not about product performance or compliance timelines. It is about the gap between what companies say about sustainability and how they actually behave. IRISS is done pretending that gap does not exist.
For decades, industrial tradeshows have been treated as sacred rituals. Pay to play. Fly to attend. Build to throw away. Measure success by foot traffic and badge scans, then repeat the following year. Most people in this industry know the reality: most conversations at these events are shallow, most ROI is assumed rather than proven, and the environmental cost is very real. Event travel is not a side effect of how our sector operates. It is one of its largest sources of emissions. Air travel, freight shipping, temporary structures, disposable materials. We have simply chosen not to talk about it.
What we mean by sustainability
Sustainability is not slogans. It is not carbon neutral badges that offset emissions rather than prevent them. And it is not recycled talking points printed on non-recyclable banners. Real sustainability means measurable outcomes: reducing actual carbon emissions, reducing actual material waste, reducing actual cost for customers and partners, and increasing actual learning, safety, and operational impact. Then holding yourself accountable to those numbers.
Flying hundreds or thousands of people across the globe to briefly exchange information that could be delivered digitally is not leadership. It is habit. Talking about sustainability while funding carbon-intensive engagement models is not progress. It is contradiction. We are not interested in contradiction.
A different model is already here
The alternative to the old model is not theoretical. It already exists. A world where learning happens continuously rather than episodically. Where conversations happen when they matter, not when a tradeshow calendar demands it. Where success is measured by outcomes, not attendance. Where education is accessible without burning jet fuel. Research suggests fully virtual conferences can reduce carbon emissions by up to 94 percent compared to in-person formats. Digital and hybrid experiences are not compromises. They are upgrades.
IRISS is choosing fewer flights, fewer booths, and fewer performative moments. In their place: continuous learning, measurable impact, and thoughtful connection. We are not anticommunity. We are pro-meaningful connection. We are not anti-conference. We are pro-education that actually changes behavior. The distinction matters.
Honest about where we are
We are not claiming perfection. We carry legacy decisions, manufacturing realities, and established habits like every company in this sector. But disruption does not require a spotless past. It requires the courage to change course publicly. Social responsibility is a cost of doing business, not a marketing choice. Sustainability without metrics is just storytelling. And fixing systemic waste now is considerably cheaper than passing the cost to the next generation.
IRISS does not do things because that is how they have always been done. We do them because they protect people, respect resources, and deliver real value. The industry is changing. We intend to lead it.
About the author Martin Robinson
Martin is the founder, owner, and CEO of IRISS Inc., a leading manufacturer of infrared inspection windows. Robinson focuses on
Photo: Shutterstock innovation and is a pioneer of Electrical Maintenance Safety Devices (EMSDs) that help protect technicians from harm while protecting their companies’ botto m line. He holds several patents for condition-based maintenance devices and has designed multiple maintenance programs that include infrared, ultrasound, partial discharge testing, non-destructive testing (NDT) and energy management strategies. He holds a NEBOSH certificate in Occupational Safety and Health, an IAM Certificate in Asset Management, is a certified Level III Thermographer, a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP) and a Certified Reliability Leader (CRL). He is a member of IEEE, NFPA and is a standing member on the technical committee CSA Z463 guidelines on maintenance of electrical systems.
This article was originally published in the June 2026 issue of the Grid Modernization and Flexibility magazine.
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